Michelle McMurry-Heath, M.D., has resigned as CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). The news comes just days after a report detailed clashes between her and the organization’s board.
In a press release issued Sept. 10, Paul Hastings, chairman of BIO’s board of directors, thanked McMurry-Heath for her service. Tuesday, Rachel King, former chair of BIO’s board, was tapped as the interim CEO while the board looks for a full-time replacement. King previously was GlycoMimetics’ CEO.
The news marks the final pin to drop in what’s been a swift news cycle, spurred by reporting from The Wall Street Journal detailing internal clashes between McMurry-Heath and the board over how to wield BIO’s advocacy. The paper reported that some members of the board wanted BIO to “engage more on social issues” whereas McMurry-Heath felt it should stay laser-focused on biotech. According to the WSJ sources, some board members were concerned with her job performance and a review was conducted.
When the report was first published, BIO said McMurry-Heath was “on leave,” although how long that had been in effect was unknown. As recently as Oct. 6, McMurry-Heath was tweeting about speaking at an event hosted by Life Sciences PA, an advocacy organization promoting life sciences business development in Pennsylvania.
McMurry-Heath’s tenure has been marked by tumultuous event after tumultuous event, not least the COVID-19 pandemic that was already raging when she was tapped for the job in May 2020. Like for other industries, COVID threw a wrench into in-person events and, for biopharma specifically, forced a reimagination of clinical trial design to better incorporate decentralized studies.
The organization also had to contend with the fallout from Biogen’s controversial Aduhelm approval, made messier by Stat’s reporting that the company had a cozy relationship with regulators. Last but not least, the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act put into law the most significant drug pricing regulations in years, which the organization has railed against as limiting innovation.
And, while her departure marks the end of a head-spinningly swift saga, McMurry-Heath is sure to be a sought-after candidate for open executive positions, should that be of interest. Prior to joining BIO, she was the worldwide vice president for regulatory and clinical affairs and global head of evidence generation at Johnson & Johnson. Before that, she spent four years at the FDA as the associate director for science at the center for devices and radiological health.